Canada dumps Swiss in men’s hockey opener

Vernon’s Andrew Ebbett had an assist in his Olympic debut as Team Canada opened the men’s hockey competition in PyeongChang with a 5-1 win over Switzerland Thursday.

Former NHL stars Rene Borque and Wojtek Wolski had two goals each for Canada while Derek Roy chipped in three assists. Maxime Noreau had the other goal for Canada, who received a 28-save performance from Ben Scrivens in goal.

Canada led 4-0 six minutes into the second period, chasing Swiss starting goalie Leonardo Genoni. He was replaced by former NHL netminder Jonas Hiller.

Canada plays the Czech Republic Friday and finishes the preliminary round Sunday against the host Koreans.

Canada is looking to win its third straight Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey. This is the first tournament since 1994 without current NHL players.